Royal Oak woman killed and dragged by garbage truck in Berkley

Berkley and state police are investigating the death of a Royal Oak woman who was killed after she was struck by a garbage truck at 11 Mile and Woodward.

The 61-year-old woman pedestrian was crossing from the north to the south side of 11 Mile on the west side of Woodward at about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday when the truck hit her, said Berkley Public Safety Deputy Director Robert North.

The driver of the truck was turning onto westbound 11 Mile Road from Woodward when he hit the unidentified woman, police said.

“She was dragged quite a way by the truck before the driver stopped,” North said.

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The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Though some witnesses said it appeared the woman had been jogging, North said that was not the case.

Police on Thursday morning said they had identified the woman, but were not releasing her name.

“We haven’t been able to notify any relatives at this point,” North said.

The garbage truck was from a private company and no ticket was issued to the driver Wednesday, North said.

“We still have a lot of investigating to do,” he said. “When we are finished, we will present the investigation to prosecutors for review to determine if there will be any charges.”

Michigan State Police are assisting with the investigation. State police Lt. Michael Shaw said state investigators were at the accident scene Wednesday and are involved in reconstructing the circumstances of the pedestrian fatality.

Westbound lanes on 11 Mile Road were closed to traffic for about five blocks between Woodward Avenue and Stanford Street in Berkley until early Thursday morning. Two southbound lanes of Woodward were also closed.